A Connecticut couple filed a lawsuit Monday alleging that their daughters were indoctrinated into a religious cult by their high school instructors, and the brainwashing continued when the girls entered college.
The couple, identified in court documents only as John and Jane Doe, stated that Avon High School Spanish teachers Tanya Mastoloni, Rebecca Kessler, and Christopher Esposito, as well as guidance counselor Laura Sullivan, targeted their daughters with the purpose of religious conversion. Avon School District and Wellesley College are also named in the suit.
The lawsuit described in detail the type of organization that their 22- and 19-year old daughters were indoctrinated into.
"The two older Doe sisters were indoctrinated into a religious cult that promotes martyrdom, and celebrates death," the suit read. "This has caused the elder Doe sisters to experience fantasies of suicidal ideation and martyrdom."
The parents also stated that they noticed personality changes in their daughters.
"They became flat and distant, reclusive, secretive, and non-communicative," the parents claimed.
"They lost their humor and their empathy. They began speaking in a bizarre new language. They became unable to think critically or independently."
Allegedly, Ms. Mastoloni taught the girls about magic, astrology, numerology, and other mystical subjects.
"All of those topics are religious in nature, and none of those topics are included in the Avon School District curriculum," the suit stated.
The parents also said that when the two oldest girls graduated high school, they began spending personal time with Mastoloni, and were encouraged to attend Wellesley College together in Massachusetts. The Does allege that the girls secured housing at the school by claiming their parents abused them.
The youngest daughter, age 16, was targeted by the instructors, but broke free from them. That, the Does say, is when they discovered that their older girls had been converted.
Avon and Wellesley representatives told the Associated Press that they are investigating the claims.
